director of the fbi Kashi Patel The company has faced renewed criticism after reports surfaced of two past arrests for public intoxication and public urination, which were detailed in a previously disclosed legal document.According to a report published by The Intercept, Patel admitted to the incidents in a 2005 Florida Bar Disclosure Statement filed during his early legal career. The document has attracted new attention following recent media reports on the alleged drinking problem.The first incident occurred in 2001, when Patel was a student at the University of Richmond. That included him being escorted out of a basketball game by campus police. He said he was drunk at the time.“After leaving the arena,” he wrote, “the police arrested me for public intoxication because I was under 21 years old.”The second arrest occurred later, while he was studying at Pace University Law School. Patel described going out with friends and drinking at a local bar before the incident.“We went to several local bars and drank some alcoholic beverages… We attempted to relieve ourselves on the way home, which was a gross departure from appropriate behavior,” he wrote. “Before we could do that, a police car stopped the group. We were then arrested for urinating in public,” he added.Patel added that the incidents were out of character for him and asked that they be seen in the context of his overall behaviour.“These two incidents are not representative of my typical behavior,” Patel continued.He added: “I hope the board sees this as an anomaly. I apologize twice to the board and to the entire community for my inappropriate behavior.”The incidents date back more than two decades and were disclosed at the time.The revelation came again in a report from The Atlantic, which detailed Patel’s alleged drinking habits. The reporter behind the original report defended her story, saying she had more confirmation from senior government sources.The report, written by journalist Sarah Fitzpatrick, based on more than two dozen anonymous sources from within and around the U.S. government, said Kash Patel showed signs of alcoholism and erratic behavior. According to the report, officials observed his “visible intoxication and unexplained absences” and expressed concerns about his ability to function and perform in his sensitive position, with some sources saying he was difficult to contact or unresponsive while on the job and even missed important meetings. Patel has denied all the accusations, calling them false and politically motivated, and filed a $250 million defamation lawsuit against The Atlantic, while the publication maintained its reporting and said it stands by its reporting.
